Devil's Threshold
by MetalWolfMelody
Summary: It all started with a challenge, a stupid challenge. Steve hadn't known that his words would do any harm- and he never anticipated it would drive Danny to the brink of death. Danny hadn't known he would be risking his life when he decided to restore his pride, but a Jersey detective has no place in a cave, especially one that might kill him before the night is over.
1. Chapter 1

Pride. It was always his stupid pride. The Jersey native had always known that the deeply embedded pride would be his downfall in the end. It was his pride that he cursed now, staring into the yawning mouth of the cavern, seeing how the light only carried twenty five meters in before darkness overwhelmed the dark brown stone. He couldn't help but shake his head and grumble before pulling on the straps of his backpack, taking slow steps forward into the entrance of the cave.

This had all started out when he and Steve had visited this place just a few days earlier. The SEAL did this far too often- dragging him out on some mountain excursion, showing him another dangerous, gorgeous wonder of the island, and bragging how he had defied the hands of the reaper with his father when he was just a boy. The last weekend he had been taken with Steve up the side of a rainy mountain, and shown the wondrous entrance of Hawaii's largest cave system.

 _"My dad took me here when I was just nine years old. We went down into the caves together, and we used an old combat knife to carve our names into a vein of clay that we found in the wall. I was just a boy, and there are spelunkers that don't even dare enter into this place" Steve bragged, striking a strongman pose at the entrance of the cave with a ridiculous grin across his face._

 _Danny merely put his hands on his knees, hanging his head down in frustration. Steve had sprinted nearly the entire way, and now they currently rested around halfway up the mountain. Although he was in well enough shape to work as a successful detective, he wasn't too fond of high-speed runs up a mountain, and this of which had left him quite winded._

 _"Come on Danny, don't act tired. You're just upset you never did anything that exciting without professional training, or that young, or even at all. Don't be so hurt over it." Steve said with a chuckle. Danny could feel his frustration mounting at this comment, even through the exhaustion that had mounted on his run here._

 _And even though he wouldn't admit it, Danny was rather wounded by Steve's words. It seemed that it was a rather low blow, attacking his accomplishments, and even comparing them to Steve's own. Danny had always known that he was no match for the SEAL- he was honored to be working beside him, and didn't need any reminding that he was lesser in any way. Simply blowing a short puff of air from his nose, Danny looked at Steve, forcing a smile to hide the fact he was smarting._

 _"Oh well, just because I wasn't raised as a little warrior like you were, McGarrett, doesn't mean that I haven't done anything fun or daring"_

 _"The rock wall with the Cub Scouts doesn't count, Danny" Steve retorted with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Another little comment that was enough to force Danny to bite his tongue, and look away from his smug partner. Was there something today that made Steve extra eager to push Danny's buttons? The blue-eyed detective didn't do so much as snarl at Steve this time around- he was too tired, too wounded. Righting himself and drawing a breath, Danny turned his back to the entrance of the cave, and started taking steps back towards the direction from which they had come._

 _"Don't worry about it, Steve, you can relive your childhood memories on your own. I'm going to be working my way down this god forsaken mass of rocks, towards home" he muttered, and started to push aside the underbrush he had already fought his way through once, hunting for the most widely used path that wound down the mountain._

 _"Whatever you say, Jersey" Steve yelled after him. "I've always known you left your balls back on the mainland. Bet you'll never have the guts to take a trip down to the gates of hell!"_

 _The Lieutenant Commander's words faded off as Danny continued to stalk away, knowing that Steve had just issued him a challenge, one that he wasn't sure he was able to back down from. Whether he was in a more hostile mood than usual, or that his pride was wounded from the exhausting run and the comments, Danny knew that he had to prove Steve wrong somehow. It was one thing to engage in their normally friendly banter- it was another to insult his manhood._

 _Crashing through the brush, making his way down the mountain, Danny made up his mind- he was coming back to this place and proving Steve wrong. He knew he could- he was more than some low-grade Boy Scout who didn't know a stalagmite from a stalactite. He was more than some low-key Jersey detective who didn't have the cajones to pull a good stunt. He was more than what Steve made him out to be on the bad days- and he was going to come back to this place and trump all that Steve had ever dreamed of._

It was that afternoon which propelled Danny to where he was now, standing at the mouth of the cavern, feeling the cool air pouring away from it like a wonderful wave. Danny knew it was going to be cooler in the cave system than it was out in the stuffy Hawaiian weather- it always was in deep underground caverns. He was prepared for that- he was wearing a light shell of a jacket and his backpack had necessary commodities.

He hadn't charged into this blind- he had spent a solid night reading up the basics of spelunking and cave exploration, and another night reading about this particular system. Steve hadn't been lying- this cave system was magnificent, and was declared the largest in Hawaii. It still was not completely mapped, for many of the caverns were filled completely with water, and others were greatly unstable. Many spelunkers went into the preliminary cave systems for thrills and chills, but even the most experienced rarely ventured down into the deeper portions.

This specific system of caves was called a few choice names in Hawaiian (which Danny hadn't dared attempt to pronounce) but the loosest translation he could find for this place was "The Devil's Threshold." Once again, Steve hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest when he referred to this place as 'the gates of hell.' There was of course the associated lore that came with such a name and such a background in this culturally rich area of the world, but Danny had figured he could read up on that another time; he didn't want to scare himself with old stories and tales the night before he took himself into depths of freezing darkness.

So now he stood, at the gates of hell, nothing more than a small pack on his back and a jacket over his shoulders to guide his way. His knowledge of basic knots and experience climbing some rocks with his old unit in Jersey was what he counted on to carry him through at least a few preliminary caves, just enough to prove Steve wrong, just enough to give himself the last laugh.

The backpack was close to a McGarrett original, a green canvas pack full of assorted items that he didn't know if he would even need. Three water bottles, a couple of protein bars, ropes, carabineers, duct tape, a pocket knife, his phone, and two flashlights. Although the seasoned SEAL would have told him that he was severely under packing, he thought that he had brought far too much as it was. The pack was weighing down on his shoulders, but he also knew that his trip would be short. A few steps down, a picture to prove his success, and then a trip back home for some coffee and gloating rights. The day was still early, and Danny already knew that he didn't plan on spending more than a few hours here- he had a cold pizza waiting for him in the fridge at home, and didn't want to miss that most pleasant date.

With a final sigh of resignation, Danny scanned the entrance of the cave with his eyes slowly, shaking his head. There was nothing but dread rolling in his gut, but he steeled himself against his shaking nerves and swallowed any fear that was threatening to surface. Danny gave a wry smile of determination, and strode forwards into the mouth of the cave.

 **Thank you so much for reading! Just to clarify- all the places that I mention in this story are purely fictional, and I have created them for the benefits of this story. And as per usual, none of the characters in this story belong to me. I hope that you all enjoy this new story! If you have any comments, suggestions, or critique, feel free to drop a review or PM! Thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

The weather in Hawaii was something that never ceased to make Danny Williams complain. The stifling humidity, the suffocating heat, none of which ever made Danny too happy. He preferred the cold, the winters, the snow, everything that came with a home which made routine seasonal changes. Hawaii was never so kind to him, always making it so miserable as to bring sweat to his brow and disaster to his carefully styled hair.

It had seemed that it had been forever before peace like this, such utter relief. The cave had gotten very cold, very quickly, far quicker than Danny had ever anticipated. He had only just barely shuffled down past the entrance cavern, and it was already obvious that the chill was biting through the thin windbreaker, and that he had incorrectly estimated it would be warm enough. With a gentle wrinkle of his nose, Danny dug the small pocket flashlight from his backpack.

The light from the entrance to the cave system was already dimming, and Danny was left with an option between the tunnel to the right, and the tunnel to the left. Both were wide, gaping mouths, drenched with a complete darkness. Danny tried desperately to recall the maps he had looked over on the screen of his computer the previous night, but couldn't remember which one led to what, or which one was the safest at all. Sniffing, as his nose was already starting to run, Danny flicked the light on and turned to the right.

The small beam of gold was hardly enough to appease Danny's aging eyes, but he followed it forward without so much as another grumble. The ceilings arched high above him with dark stone, and stalagmites of various forms textured the stone. Dripping water made a distinctive sound that echoed off the surfaces around the tunnel, and it was enough that Danny's feet sloshed across the slick surface.

He made his way carefully, noting how the floor beneath him started to slope down beneath him, and praying that his shoes would hold. Cold air was hitting him with a higher intensity, and although Danny had never done something like this before, he anticipated that there would be a significant drop in altitude just ahead. Unfortunately, the flashlight that he had brought was pathetically underwhelming- it barely allowed him to see five feet in front of where he stood, and cast no light out towards the wall. The light was concentrated, and provided hardly any real relief to his eyes and their strain, and for the first time frustration was beginning to mount. It seemed that even after a couple of steps, he was making next to no progress in going anywhere, doing anything.

After a sigh, Danny pressed forward, putting a hand on the water-streaked wall as he went, feeling desperately for clay. That is what Steve had bragged about- him and his father carving their names into clay. The knife in his backpack would do the deed on his own, and the camera on his phone would hold the proof, but Danny first needed to find something to carve his name into.

The tunnel widened again after another few steps, and opened into a massive open cavern, stalactites and stalagmites scattered around wherever he showed the beam of his light. By his best estimate, just a few feet from where he stood, it dropped down by an amount he couldn't begin to guess, and the ceiling went what had to have been two stories tall. Although he was first taken aback by awe, Danny began to felt a slight tinge of doubt. Should he have taken a left in the initial cavern? Or should he have not come down here at all?

But his wounded pride stung past the cold, past the doubt, past the rising uncertainty. He shone his light to either side, and noticed that there was a fairly wide path that continued to the right. With a hesitant look around the edge of the path, Danny negotiated his options. Rolling his eyes, partially in frustration at himself, and partially in frustration at Steve, Danny walked forward, hugging the damp wall with his side, feeling the bitter cold of the rock go straight into his very bones. A chattering sound came suddenly amongst the dripping echoes, and Danny paused for a moment, hunting for the source of the sound. After a moment, he realized that it had to be his teeth, which seemed to be threatening to jump from his skull.

This was another sign that tempted Danny to turn back, to walk away from this, to make it back out into the mountain, back to his car, and the pizza that was waiting for him in his fridge. Yet, within a second, a clear image came into his mind. It was Steve's face, laughing at him, tempting him further towards anger and insanity, telling him that he couldn't do it. The rivalry between the two was friendly, and their friendship was often strained by the job, as much as they pushed it away. And of course, Danny's attitude and pride was as good a wedge as any.

Thankfully, the pathways that he had been down so far had been of quite a wide berth, and the size of the caverns had been very forgiving. Despite being closed in underground, Danny didn't feel overly claustrophobic, thanks to the fact that everything was indeed so large. But the nagging fear that the spaces would begin to close, and that he would get stuck, caused his breath to hitch as he shuffled forward.

 _Come on, you've got this far, go a little farther. Prove Steve that you're just as good as he is, just as daring. Nothing else can piss him off more than this, prove him wrong_. Grimacing against the cold, Danny followed the wall until he came to an opening, this one much smaller than the one that he had just emerged from. He was quite glad that this tunnel had come along when it did- the pathway above the abyss that he had been carefully working his way along was steadily growing more and more narrow.

It was with a breath of relief that he ducked into this new entrance, and crouched down slightly to fit in more comfortably. It made him a bit more confident not to have his head brushing the stone ceiling, but he still preferred to get out of the enclosed space as quickly as possible.

Relief was brought once again as he came to a fork in the path about twenty meters later, and eagerly ducked into the right fork of the path, still feeling along for any clay, any softer portion of stone, anything to get him out of there as soon as possible. It wasn't too much later, however, that he hit a dead end, a small cavern with a massive clumping of piled stone blocking his way.

 _Persevere, get it done, and quickly. Damn, it's getting cold_ he thought bitterly, turning back as quickly as he could, preparing to return to the main caverns in hope of finding better success there. However, as he returned to the fork in the tunnel path, he realized that his frustration and cold had almost utterly overwhelmed him. Even though he strained to remember, he couldn't recall which path he had just turned down.

Logistically, he figured he would turn down the one to his right, and follow it for however far the initial cavern had led him back here, and if it was longer or shorter, he would merely turn back and take the other path. Danny took a turn to the right, and shone the light on the walls, seeing nothing that distinguished this mass of stone from the last that he had ventured through. No new markings, no clay. No new air, nothing distinctive, so Danny shone the beam of his light up towards the top of the arching stone tunnel, following it as he walked along.

He could hardly tell the difference in the amount of water he was sloshing through, that it had now come over the toe of his shoe. They had already been soaked enough that his toes were nearly numb with cold, and his teeth hadn't ceased chattering. Instead he focused on studying the stone above him, following a slight glint between the stalactites. It seemed to shimmer in the tight focus of the beam, and Danny wouldn't have admitted it, but he was slightly intrigued.

As he followed this tight, sparkling vein, he lost focus of the ground beneath him. It sloped down, the water sloshed and dripped, and before Danny knew it, his foot lost contact with the ground. It went forward into empty space, and the full of his weight went behind it.

A scream tried to tear itself from his throat, and he groped outwards with his hands in the hope that they would find anything, anything at all to catch him. But it was useless as his body fell forward, the weight of his backpack only helping to pull him forward over the edge of the abyss. The flashlight fell from his hands, and his knuckles scraped against stone as he shot his arms outwards in a final attempt to prevent himself from falling over. Once again, these attempts were rendered useless as he plunged into the darkness, air rushing past him intensely.

Danny didn't even have a chance to curse before he impacted with solid rock, and he didn't even have a second of hot white pain before his vision went dark and he fell into a deep unconsciousness.

 **Thank you so much for all of the reviews and follows on this story! I really appreciate the warm reception! Thanks to all of you for reading this, I hope you enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

Steve hung up the cell phone angrily, shoving it back into his pocket with an elementary frustration. It was the first weekend in quite a long time that the team was taking off, which they less than they all deserved. An issue with illegal immigration through shipping cargo had taken the team weeks to solve, including weekends working, undercover operations, and far too little sleep. The most that the team had off was one weekend about two weeks ago, which Steve had spent with Danny.

Now it was finally time to rest, and Steve had thought there would be nothing nicer than to spend a day at a sports bar with Danny, then head home for a few cold ones at the beach. He believed this to be a deserving break for his hard working partner, as well as for himself. But the detective hadn't even picked up the phone today, through the ten calls that Steve had made. Each of them had gone straight to the canned, tinny voicemail box that Danny hadn't even bothered to set up properly.

It was late enough in the day that Danny wouldn't still be sleeping. As much as Danny loved his sleep, he would never sleep in past ten in the morning if he could help it- food was his dearest love, and he would wake up just for the purpose of getting a decent breakfast. At the very least, Danny would text Steve in the morning just to greet him, see how he was doing for the day.

Despite his frustration, nothing felt too out of place for Steve. The last free time Danny had he had spent with Steve, and the afternoon hadn't exactly ended on the friendliest note. Steve didn't know exactly what he had said- he was only trying to engage in the normal friendly banter that they naturally slipped into at every possible moment. He had merely teased the detective in the usual manner- the fact that he hadn't had the chance to take some of the more daring leaps that Steve had been able to. It was nothing more than a slight tease, which he expected Danny to rebound from without a second thought. In fact, the Jersey native would have predictably said something about what he had been able to do in Jersey that no one in this "pineapple infested hellhole" had been able to do.

Instead, Danny had stormed off angrily, pushing his way through the undergrowth and back to the truck, and Steve had to go chasing after him down the mountain. He had been assured that Danny hadn't been injured externally, and it had puzzled him what was bothering his partner internally. Despite his questioning, however, Danny had remained silent.

Work had proceeded through the week with friction, but nothing that hindered performance on the job. However, now that the weekend had come, the nectar-sweet break that the whole team had looked forward to, Danny was nowhere to be found. No particular alarms were raised by Danny ignoring him considering not only that it was the weekend, but that they hadn't been on the best of terms as of late. That didn't mean, however, that Steve was any less frustrated.

His initial reaction to Danny ignoring him would have been to call Chin to see if he was free- Steve had been interested in trying his hand at spearfishing once more. Unfortunately, Chin and Kono had left the main island to visit family for the weekend, and would remain at that family gathering until the beginning of the next week. It looked like Steve was out of luck for entertainment for the day.

Resigned to his fate, Steve wandered up to his bedroom to brush his teeth, attempting to rid his mouth from the remnants of breakfast- eggs, beer, and some toast. It wasn't exactly the best start to the day, but it wasn't one that Steve was ready to complain about.

After waking himself up a little bit more, Steve moved down to his office, turning on his computer with a small yawn. It might have been valuable to have a weekend of rest, but as tired as he was, he might as well chew through a few emails, and wrap up some reports for work, before he went to relax as fully as he could.

All he could do was groan as his inbox showed it was full with more than one hundred unread emails, each of them screaming with a different amount of importance. Just as Steve was preparing to sit down for a good chunk of work, he noticed an email towards the top of the group from Danny. Furrowing his brow, Steve clicked on it, and waited for it to open.

The email had no title, and no words within it. The only thing that came up as the email opened was a digital copy of a postcard, an image of two men dangling from ropes in a massive cave, lights illuminating a magnificent, large cavern. The photo merely said "Hawaii's Wonders" across the top in a massive, pink and yellow font.

Steve felt his heart drop into his stomach. It was this again; that stupid cave system that he had shown Danny, those unusually tough comments that he had taunted Danny with. Was that really why Danny hadn't been answering his phone today?

Steve would have preferred to imagine that Danny was just giving him a hint to why he was pissed off, that this simple image was only a reminder of his crude and unthoughtful words. But the ten missed calls that hadn't gone through to the blond detective was evidence enough that Danny wasn't home today, stewing over a past mistake. He was out accepting the challenge that Steve himself had issued.

Concern washed over him, and Steve couldn't help but pull out his phone again, watching it dial Danny's number one more time, hearing that annoying canned voice again after what must have been an eternity of ringing. Shortly afterwards he sent a short text, an inquiry as to where Danny was. Within a minute, his phone alerted him that the text was unable to be sent. Cursing beneath his breath, Steve wasted no time in grabbing the backpack from the back porch, the same one that he had taken to Devil's Threshold last weekend. He hadn't bothered to unpack, and figured that if Danny had done what Steve thought he had done, he would need all of the gear in it to help his friend.

It took just another minute for Steve to hurry into the truck, and throw it into drive, tearing out of his driveway. He pushed the rising panic down in his gut as well as he could, reassuring himself that Danny wouldn't be halfway up the mountain by now, that he was in no real danger. Danny was talented, and skilled, but he had no experience in cave exploration, and as he had tried to tell Danny, the caves were dangerous even for those with experience. There was a feeling in his gut now, a bad, terrible, awful feeling that something was wrong.

Noting the clouds that were filling the sky, hiding what had been gorgeous weather this morning, a sunny sky turning grey with the threat of ill weather. Steve groaned, regretting all of the words he had said to Danny, regretting that it had come this far. Now as he pushed his foot farther down on the gas pedal, all he could do was pray that he found Danny in time.

 **Sorry for the lack of excitement in this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed anyway! Thanks so much for reading, and thank you so incredibly much for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites I've already received on this story! Please, if you have anything to say at all, positive or negative, feel free to drop a review or leave me a PM! Thanks again so much, I'll update soon with Danny's condition :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Danny blinked his eyes open, the first sensation coming to his mind nothing more than a searing flash of pain. He couldn't tell where the pain stemmed from, or orient himself in any true direction. All he wanted was to go back to the blackness that he had just been yanked from, go back to the numbness, go back to the nothingness that was blissful compared to this agony.

Blinking away the blurriness in his eyes, Danny momentarily expected the darkness to go away, as though he were clearing sleep from his line of sight. Rather, it stayed just as dark, and the floor beneath him just as cold and textured. With his head throbbing, Danny tried to pull himself up from where he lay, remembering where he was.

The cave, that stupid, goddamn cave. He had thought he was making his way back to the main cave, but instead, here he was, lying down shooting pain ricocheting through his skull. Thankfully, the following aches in his back reminded him that the pack he wore had cushioned much of his fall. Once more, Danny tried to prop himself up, and cried out when he put even the smallest amount of weight on his arm. The pain shot through his wrist and up into his arm, and Danny couldn't do any more than lay back with a groan, closing his eyes, not like it made a difference in the blackness.

Aside from the pain, Danny was freezing, which was a totally different kind of pain. His body was damp from the moisture in the cave, and it was soaking his jacket and shirt. The air was cold and Danny was shivering, sending pain through his body as his teeth chattered and body trembled uncontrollably. He had never believed that the caves would be quite so cold, to the point where they were frigid.

Between the cold, so intense that it made it hard to move his fingers, and the pain spreading through his body, there was nothing more tempting to Danny than to fall asleep, to slip back into unconsciousness, forget the discomfort wracking his body. But it wasn't in Danny's nature just to lie down and take a beating- he knew that if he wanted to get out of this mess, he had to get up first.

Taking a deep breath, thankful more than anything that it didn't ache his ribs or spine to inhale. There was no better relief than to know that of the various injuries he had likely sustained, broken ribs weren't one of them. Once again Danny tried to sit up, and felt the pain in his left wrist and arm, severe enough to indicate that there was a serious fracture or break around the wrist and forearm. Outside of the throbbing in his head, the physical injuries appeared to be minimal, aside from scrapes and bruises. The overwhelming cold was something else on his mind, but Danny knew that he could push past that more so than his likely broken wrist.

Rolling to the side, Danny figured that shifting his weight to his right side would spare the pain from his left arm. Unfortunately, as he shifted, he felt his body smack up against a stalactite, strong and damp beside him. Groaning, Danny felt a cold wave wash over him- the thought that had he fallen just inches to the right, he would have been speared, killed instantly.

Fumbling backward, he used his legs to propel himself backwards, quickly smacking up against a wall, thankfully dodging most large stones on the floor until his back came against a cold wall. He eased the backpack off his shoulders, wishing that his eyes could adjust to the dark, but unfortunately, there was no light at all in this cave, nothing for him to compensate for. This was reason enough for him to stick his hand far down into the pack, groping for the other flashlight he had brought along, hoping, praying that it wasn't broken.

It was a miracle when his fingers brushed against the familiar plastic only seconds later, and Danny was able to draw the flashlight out of the pack, fumbling clumsily for the button with a numb and shaking finger. Yet the relief when the light turned on was intense, a bright golden light casting itself along the walls and floor of Danny's prison.

Although initially the brightness made his head throb, Danny was grateful for the relief. The space that he was in was totally enclosed, rock walls slick with water coming up on either side of him, the space surrounding him about ten feet wide and eight feet long, the stone textured beneath him. There were only two noticeable features on the ground, both of which he had avoided striking in his fall, for which he was grateful. Both sharp stones would have surely spelled his demise, had he not been so lucky as to fall in the center of the enclosure.

Taking another deep breath, Danny shone the light upwards, observing that he hand fallen no more than fifteen feet, give or take. The pain in his body let him know that the fall was significant enough to injure, but he was merely grateful that this other factor had not been enough to kill him this time around.

There was another disheartening fact- the walls were all smooth and slick, no texture outside of waves in the rock, water trickling down them gently, pooling at the bottom of the cave where Danny sat. That was another uncomfortable factor that made Danny grossly uncomfortable and increasingly cold- his whole body was growing more damp with each passing second.

Danny set the flashlight on the floor so that the light illuminated the general space in which he sat, and he groped through his backpack one more time. His fingers brushed against cool glass, and his fingers ran over what felt like minute fractures. Biting down on his lip in frustration, Danny drew out his phone from between the other materials, and squinted at it. The screen had a spiderweb of cracks running through it, and as wet as everything was, he was sure it was rendered useless. Besides, the mountain itself had absolutely no cell service- there was no way in hell that the cave would either.

Out of a final flash of hope, Danny pressed the on button, and much to his surprise, the phone came to life in his hand. Tears stung his eyes as he saw the picture, however fractured by the shattered glass, of his beautiful daughter. He couldn't afford to die down here, in this stupid, god forsaken cave, he had far too much to lose. He had his daughter, his team, his whole life ahead of him. He was not going to let one fall in this stupid cave put an end to that, no matter how cold he was, no matter how much he could feel pain radiating through his body. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to make it out. After all, he had no other choice.

Danny took another good look at his daughter, and couldn't help but bring his lips to the screen, a gesture of affection to nothing more than a digital representation of his greatest love. With as much tender care as Danny could manage, he put the phone in the pocket of his jacket, hoping that it wasn't too wet as to damage the phone any further. Using his good arm once again, Danny dug through the soaked pack, yanking out a tangle of ropes that he had brought along.

There were at least twenty yards of rope carefully bundled and stowed in his pack, not all to climbing standard, but enough to provide a high quality of support if need be. There were a few assorted clips and carabineers in the pack as well, which Danny set on the floor beside him with the rope.

It was no less than frustrating to have one good hand to work with, to both pull the ropes out and sort through the other things in the pack. Everything would be going quite faster had Danny still been able to use both of his arms to their full capabilities. Currently, the left arm was just cradling the pack on his lap so that it wasn't shifting too terribly far as he pulled materials out of it. Danny also knew that if he was going to get out at all, he was going to have to use it at some point. For now, however, he wanted to keep the damage minimal, until he really had to give it his all.

Groaning against the pain, Danny took a moment to let his head rest back on the stone behind his head, and take a breath. His hair was falling in front of his eyes, and the cave was dark enough even with the flashlight on. The throbbing through his body hadn't ceased, nor had the unbearable cold. Danny was filled with dread, but also with hope that he was strong enough to get out of this mess alive.

As he shifted his weight, water sloshed beneath him, cold water on stone. The sound of trickling water hadn't ceased or decreased while he had sat- rather, it was growing in intensity. But Danny hadn't noticed that quite yet- he was still contemplating his misfortune as time continued to pass in his stone walled prison.

 **Thank you all so much for reading this story! Just so you know, this isn't an excuse for poor writing, but everything I publish here is first draft, no editing, I usually don't even glance over it again before I publish. I write in bits and pieces throughout my day, and often I cannot find the time to sit down and edit- besides, this is just fanfiction I write for the fun of it. I have personal pursuits that I would prefer to spend my time on, as opposed to editing. Once again, I'm not trying to make an excuse- just as for forgiveness for any small mistakes and incontinuty there is in my stories.** **So most honestly, thank you for reading my story, reviewing, following, and favoriting- I appreciate it more than you could ever imagine.**


	5. Chapter 5

As he had been driving towards the mountain that the cave system resided within, Steve had noticed the rainclouds growing darker and darker, until the heavens had finally open and rain started pouring down on the thirsty earth. The more he kept pushing on, driving down that two lane road, the more that Steve knew what he was doing was foolish, selfish even. He wanted to do this for himself, find Danny, rescue him, right the wrong. But just as Danny, Steve was no expert in spelunking, and there was no use pretending he was. If Danny was in trouble, he wasn't qualified to help him, and wouldn't even know where to start.

Regretfully, Steve knew that he had to pull over, and call in a favor. However, he was going at an incredible speed, and it was nearly on two wheels that he took the turn into a small driveway. Brakes screeched in protest, and water flew up in a blinding spray around him, but once the car halted, Steve wasted no time in pulling out his cell phone and hunting for a number that he knew he had somewhere.

Being part of an elite team had its perks- Steve had the chance to meet a lot of people, do a lot of things, and had the chance to do a couple people favors. In that respect, he had a few people who owed him favors. That included a group of thrill seekers who had a wide variety of skills and interests, interests that took them all over the islands and sometimes around the world. More so than just a group of adrenaline junkies, they headed up their own business, showing tourists high thrills up and around the mountains for a heavy price.

All Steve really cared about was that they were quite experienced and very professional when the need came, and they were known to take lengthy excursions into caves across the island. Steve would know- there was once a case involving this group, where the head of the group, Dalton Mann, was accused of a murder that occurred on one of their excursions. The 5-0 team cleared his name after extensive investigation, and since then, the group claimed that they were indebted to him.

After just a minute, the number came up, and Steve pressed the call button without hesitation. Pressing the phone to his ear, Steve looked out the window, at the rivets of rain that were pouring down the glass windows. If this much rain could accumulate so quickly, the conditions in the mountains would quickly grow slick and dangerous, especially in an already dangerous cave. Concern rose in Steve's gut again as he listened to the phone ring once, twice, and three times, before a deep male voice answered the phone.

"High Thrill Hawaiian Adventures, your prime destination for Hawaii's beautiful locations, and adrenaline pumping recreation. This is Dalton speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hey, Dalton, it's Steve McGarrett, and I'm afraid I'm calling in that favor" Steve said, just loud enough to be heard over the rain pounding down on the metallic roof. There was a moment of static over the phone, before Dalton's voice came again, less falsified and excited.

"Hello Commander, nice to hear from you again. You just let me know, I'll give you anything you need, you know I owe you more than I can ever say" Dalton spoke seriously, and Steve bit down on his cheek. He knew it was a lot to ask of anyone, especially in this weather, but as he saw it, his choices were running out.

"Listen, my friend, he's out doing something stupid. The other detective on the case with me, Danny, well, he went up to Devil's Threshold. On his own." There was a moment's pause before Dalton responded, at which point he chuckled, a crackly, nervous chuckle.

"Man, you can't be serious. Those caves are about as dangerous as they come. Uneven terrain, no footing, underground rivers, no sense of direction, you name it. If he's in there, and I assume he's got no experience spelunking, he could be in some serious trouble. What's the weather like over there?" he asked, and Steve merely glanced at the windshield in defeat.

"It's raining, bad. I haven't been up there myself yet, but I think if he's in those caves, he could be in some serious trouble"

"That's an understatement, brah" Dalton said, his tone dark and grim. "Even me and my team don't dare to go too far in. But if anyone on these islands in fit to go in, it's us. I know I owe you, and even if I didn't, there's a few too many accidents that happen in those caves because people go wandering in on their own. I can do my best to go in with some guys and see if we can help him out, and get him out safe. But you're right. If he's even taken one wrong turn, he could be in some serious trouble."

Steve put a hand over his face. The tour guide and thrill seeker was rarely serious- he was still a young man, one who didn't seem to have grown up yet, but still managed to run a successful business and get his thrills in the meantime. To hear that tone of voice out of Dalton's normally smiling mouth was enough of a concern for the former SEAL, and considering that it was Danny's life at stake, Steve couldn't help but groan.

"Thanks, man, how fast do you think you could get out here?" he asked, trying to hide the fear that was creeping up his throat.

"You're already there?" Dalton asked, but quickly jumped forward without waiting for a reply. "I'll be there in three hours with two others for a spelunking team, and I'll bring a harness and ropes for you, so that we'll have two pairs of us down there. I know that you like to rush into things, but please, for now, don't go in on your own. We can't afford to have someone else down there, possibly in danger."

"I understand" Steve replied, and put his foot back on the gas, throwing the car into reverse.

"Alright, Commander, I'll see you in just a couple hours. I hope that it's soon enough." Dalton finished, and Steve hung up the phone without saying another word. What Steve felt was going to have to remain unsaid- it seemed by the tone in Dalton's voice that the man felt the same.

Danny was stupid to go in alone, and now he might be in trouble. And in order to rescue him, there were going to be four more lives put in danger. With the rain picking up once more, Steve roared backwards out of the driveway, and towards the mountain once again.

Water sprayed up from around his tires, and was already pooling at the sides of the road. A Hawaiian storm that sprang out of nowhere, just in time to cause even more trouble for the detective. Steve stared up the mountain that rose ahead of him, and pressed down a bit harder on the gas. It was his fault Danny was in trouble, and he would be damned if he couldn't save him.

 **Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! It means so much to me, and I deeply appreciate every single follow, favorite, and review on this story. More Danny next chapter, should be updated soon :) Thanks again, hope you enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

Danny had let his head back to rest, closing his eyes and trying to work past the throbbing that came again and again in his head. It was a steady and uncomfortable pulsing, coming straight from the back of his skull. There was a fair certainty in his mind that he didn't have a concussion- his head was surely not the first thing to strike the ground, and when it had smacked back after impact, it had just been hard enough to knock him out. The pain was not severe enough to indicate a fracture, just a decent knock that had been enough to send him under for some amount of time, which he hadn't yet determined.

It was another solid minute, suffering through the throbbing and stinging and shivering, before Danny opened his eyes and groped for the bundle of ropes that sat beside him. He had already thought out his next plan of action- he was going to climb out using the ropes that he had brought. The item that brought him tumbling down into this abyss was a stalactite that caught his foot, and although he couldn't recall the exact size, it had to be large enough to support some decent weight.

Wincing, Danny pulled the rope into his lap, and turned on the pocket flashlight he had recovered from the fall. With it turned on, he gripped it tightly in his teeth, and stared at the bundle in front of him. He knew already that to tie a successful knot, he would have to use both of his hands- damaged one included. If he could tie a makeshift harness around himself, and secure a rope to the stalagmite that had caused his fall, he could gradually pull himself up over the edge.

It would be a risky, painful, and lengthy maneuver, but as Danny contemplated his options, he knew that this was one of two options. The only other one was to sit and suffer, and potentially die whenever the rest of the hypothermia set in. He knew that rescue wasn't coming for him, as he hadn't told a soul where he was headed, and the only, slightest hint of his escapade was an email to Steve.

Recalling that picture that he had sent to Steve, the cheesy postcard picture, Danny almost wanted to laugh. There was no was that Steve would know what he had meant, there was no way that even Steve would guess that one picture meant he was off, dying in a cave, deep underground in a sopping wet prison.

As much as Danny would have liked to sit and curse Steve, however, he knew that he had to get working soon before his fingers became too cold to move properly. It may have been dark, but Danny had suffered enough Jersey winters to know the feelings of hypothermia when they were setting in. His cold clothes were doing all but helping at this point, same with the water that was somehow starting to accumulate at the bottom of the cave. Thankfully, Danny had noted it wasn't exactly rising, but there was nothing about it that made him too content either.

He drew in a shaking breath, and pushed aside the constant reminders of his dreadful situation. Instead, he grunted, and worked to pull the end of the longest rope free, and secure it around himself. It took the detective a shaky moment to realize that one loop around his waist was hardly the support he needed, so he took another moment to pull it around his legs and waist, trying to model a more traditional harness, like one would use for climbing.

The knots were shakily done, and each motion of his left hand made Danny groan and wince in pain. It also seemed that they took forever- each movement diligent and prolonged by the numbness setting into his extremities. Yet it was done eventually, and at this point Danny allowed himself yet another break, dropping the flashlight from his mouth and into his lap. With his good hand, he groped for his phone, praying that it was still able to turn on.

Once he had fished it from his pocket, it did just that; open to show his lock screen once again, his daugher, his reason to pull himself out of this cave and back into good daylight, spaciousness. Of all the things to focus on, the fact that he was enclosed was the very least of his worries. It wasn't too terribly tight, and there were more severe pains than a mental anxiety that he had to focus on at this moment.

After a few moments, he replaced the phone in his jacket pocket, and moved to grab the other end of the rope. He fastened it into a crude loop, and took a moment to assure himself that it would be enough length of rope to make it up and over the top of the ledge. Soon after that, he knotted thick knots at intervals up the rope so that he would be able to secure himself once he reached each point, allowing him to take a break up his climb.

Danny staggered to his feet, wincing as he shifted his weight and the aches continued to ripple through his body. He returned to flashlight to between his teeth, and shone it up to the ledge from which he had fallen. As Danny stared at the tunel, he realized that there was a steady trickle of water coming from the entrance, and as he inspected it again, it seemed smaller than the tunnel that he had gone through. Confused by this, he turned his head so that the beam was directed around the cave top in all other directions. What he saw distressed him quite deeply.

Aside from the first tunnel that he had observed, and wrongly assumed was the tunnel he had entered through, there were two other gaping holes about the same height. One of them was a bit bigger than the others, which Danny had to assume was the one that he had come tumbling through to arrive in this place. With a quick observation at the other two, Danny noticed that the water he heard rushing was coming from those two entrances, steady now, a small stream coming down the rock face. Taking a step forward, Danny heard the water splashing around his feet.

He had been so cold in his extremities he had hardly noticed the wetness that was now almost to his ankles. There was a steady flow of water into the cavern, it seemed, and that was coming to pool at his feet. The panic rose once again, for it seemed that there was no way for this steady income to leave the rock walls, and by the streams flowing down the soaked walls, it didn't appear the water was going to let up anytime soon. Danny had believed it possible, but suddenly, it was even more urgent for him to get out of this place, as fast as he possibly could.

Reorienting himself so that he was indeed facing the tunnel he was sure that he had fallen out of, and held the loop of rope in his hand as best he could, judging how hard it would be to throw it up to the top, and manage to actually catch the formation that sent him here. Another step forward reminded him that he didn't really have another choice- the water was rising, and hypothermia wasn't too far away. With a loud groan, Danny took the rope, sent a silent prayer to a heaven that seemed too far away, and threw the loop upwards.

It hit the edge of the tunnel entrance, and seemed to stick there for a moment before falling back down, hitting the water with a splash. Danny realized that he was shaking so much, he hadn't been able to bring his arm up as far as he had hoped he could. The loss of dexterity in his fingers was growing increasingly obvious as he hunted for the rope in the water, trying to grip it in fingers that wouldn't bend.

A far away first aid class danced in the back of his mind, and Danny was reminded that the number one way to check for loss of dexterity was to see if you could touch your pinky to your thumb, before the delirious phase of hypothermia dug its claws into your skin. Once the rope was retrieved and looped around his arm, Danny tried with all his might to bring those two fingers together, but found that he could hardly move the numb digits at all.

In nothing more than utter despair, Danny let out a loud chuckle, hearing his pained voice echo on the rocks. It continued to bounce back to him for more seconds than he cared to count, and once the ringing of his own laughter stopped, Danny threw the rope. This time it didn't even make it to the tunnel's entrance. He threw again. Then again. And again.

For minutes he strained, his left arm aching less the colder he got, but at the same time, each attempt got further and further from the rope's preferred destination.

An icy defeat wrapped around Danny, and he grabbed the flashlight from between his teeth, turning it up and sliding back to the ground, his back against the wall. Sitting brought water up to touch his tailbone, and any items that he had brought were now almost all submerged. His mind was beginning to blur as the coldness continued, and the only thing that he could think about was how the water seemed to be rising, and quickly.

Without even meaning to, Danny's eyes slipped shut, and he wrapped his arms around himself as tightly as he could to preserve warmth. Then he fell back to unconsciousness, propped up against the wall, shaking with cold.

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read this story! More than anything, I hope you're enjoying! I sincerely appreciate every single follow, favorite, and review on this story. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to give me some! If you have any comments, feel free to drop a review or PM, my door is always open. Thanks again so much, and I hope to be coming to you with an update sooner rather than later!**


	7. Chapter 7

The three hours that Dalton had promised was made two. Steve had gotten to the cavern entrance in under an hour from when he had parked, and waiting outside that steep, rocky mouth was torturous. Danny's car had been parked in the lot at the bottom of the mountain trail, and there had been nothing inside of it. Steve had parked his truck beside it, and took himself and his bag up through the rain to the cavern entrance.

Mud was already slick down the side of the mountain, and unfortunately, it didn't appear as if there was going to be a break in the dark grey clouds anytime soon. Steve had sheltered in the wide open mouth of the cave, and he only perked up eagerly when he heard voices yelling up to him. Searching out into the rain, Steve saw neon shapes coming towards him, lights strapped to their heads.

Dalton was in the lead, a tall and muscular man with tattoos all the way up to his neck, and two others followed him, a young looking man and woman. All of them were wearing bright clothes and thick jackets, and all of them had backpacks strapped tightly to their backs. Steve reached out a hand, and he and Dalton shook hands with a solemn nod.

"Have you gone in yet?" Dalton asked, and Steve shook his head. Dalton slid an extra pack off his back, and offered it out to Steve, who took it thankfully, adding it to the load he already had on his back. With a nod to his companions, Dalton introduced his help.

"This is Carla and Rick, my two most experienced spelunkers that help me run the company. They'll go together, and then you and I will go together. I brought radios for each of us, but no promises on how well they'll work when we have walls of rock between us" he continued, pulling a radio out of his pocket and handing it to Steve. Steve took it and put in in his pocket before shaking the hands of the man and woman, each of whom had the same solemn look on their face.

"Thanks so much for coming out here on short notice" Steve commented, and once again the two additional team members nodded their head, while Dalton only sighed.

"I just hope we got here in time. I saw two cars at the base of this mountain, and I can only hope that when we leave, there will be none. Hopefully your friend has not wandered too far. For safety's sake, we will meet back out here in one hour, no more than that. It may very well not take that long to find your friend, Commander, but we must keep ourselves safe if we are to help him."

However hard it was to accept, Steve understood. This was dangerous territory, and it did no good if the rescue party got injured in the process. There was nothing more that he wanted than to go charging into the cave, to pull his friend out of whatever mess he was in, and rush him home with a profuse string of apologies.

It was a shame that Steve was better with sea, air, and land than he was within the earth. Although Danny liked to say it more often than not, it wasn't true that a SEAL had every skill known to man- they just had most of them.

So it was with Dalton's supervision that Steve slipped some gear on, such as a basic harness if they had to descend any steep inclines or secure themselves at the risk of slipping. Steve was more than grateful for the help of the experienced spelunker, because now he felt that he could be sure to come through for Danny, he surely could rescue his best friend now.

They made their way into the entrance of the cave even further, drawing them away from the still heavy rain. Steve shook his head and smoothed down the wet hair, droplets running into his eyes. The team was faced with two main tunnels that branched off to the left and to the right, an utter and complete darkness filling the gaping maws that threatened death. Steve groaned, and the two younger climbers were silent, but Dalton took a deep breath. It was the most confident sounding expression that came from the group, and that confidence was expressed once again as he demonstrated his ideal plan.

"Carla and Rick will take one tunnel, and Steve, you and I will take the other. I'm going to remind you that we should meet back here in an hour if we don't find anything, just for safety's sake. Now, let's get started. Remember, one hour, back here! And you two, remember all the safety precautions that we normally follow, don't do something stupid. We're already here to rescue one person, we don't need to make a mess and have that number rise to two or three."

"Yes boss" Carla said, tugging the straps on her harness once again, and Rick nodded rather than chiming in with a response.

"Good" Dalton affirmed, and turned towards the right tunnel, motioning for Steve to follow him. Steve did so nervously, but his fear for Danny overrode the fear that was creeping up on him just as plainly.

His steps were sure and steady behind Dalton, and he carefully observed the path and walls around him, the damp stone that sent chills through his bones. His boots splashed softly in puddles that pooled on the sandy colored stone, and his headlamp illuminated calcium and mineral deposits that streaked their surroundings with white and yellow.

The path continued on for a good while, and Dalton didn't say a word, nor did Steve bother to initiate conversation. The deeper down the tunnel they ventured the colder it got, and Steve tried to ignore the chill seeping through his bones, replacing the discomfort with the fear that Danny had been down here too long if it had indeed been so cold the entire time.

The sound of running water had been subtle at first, but the further they went down the sloping tunnel, the sound only grew louder and more violent. Dalton must have been able to feel the tension in the air, as he halted, and turned back to Steve.

"It's the rain, the water is coming down into the tunnels and flooding some of the underground rivers. We can only hope that he has not been so unfortunate as to stumble into one of those, for then, we may never find him" the guide said grimly. All Steve could do was swallow his fear and push on further, hoping that what Dalton had said wasn't true.

 **Thanks so much for reading, I hope that you enjoy! I appreciate every single review, follow, and favorite on this story, and I hope more than anything that you enjoy it! Sorry for the delay in posting, I promise the next chapter wil be up sooner!**


	8. Chapter 8

Danny was drifting in and out of consciousness, coming awake through the shaking of his body alone, the shooting pain through his nerves from the sheer force of the cold. When he was in the waking world, he was struggling to grip the rope between his fingers, push his back up against the wall and stand, to struggle and fight his way out.

The other side of consciousness was much kinder. Memories flitten through his mind as though they were dancing, coming in flashes quicker than Danny could grasp them. There was the sound of gunshots, Rachel's laughter, Steve's chuckling, and most of all, his daughter yelling out "Danno!" All of these things echoing through his mind as he dipped down from blackness back into blackness, from painful memories into painful reality.

With a loud cry of pain, Danny woke once again, his mind full of fog and pain. All he could hear was the echoing sound of water splashing, and it made Danny's head spin. He couldn't tell if it was just echoing in his mind, or if that was reality, that he was growing closer and closer to drowning in this hole. Blinking his eyes open through the dark, Danny realized that it was indeed reality, as every shift in the water was now splashing up against his neck. It was all he could do not to scream in both agony and fear, struggling to push himself further up against the wall, take his mouth higher above the water.

But he couldn't move, he couldn't even bring his arms up above the water. He couldn't feel his fingers, much less move them to grab for that rope one last time. It was as though the parts of his mind that controlled motion had gone black, and all that was left was pain in his chest. There were no words to describe how difficult it was to breathe, with the cold water constricting the muscles in his chest.

Danny had sworn that the time between consciousness had been no more than a minute, and the water had gone from his stomach to his neck. And even now as it lapped around the collar of his shirt, he could feel it rising, growing closer and closer to his chin. He struggled back, but his body wouldn't move, all he was able to do was tilt his chin back just a bit, the will to live fighting back the grogginess just a few moments longer.

Why was it that it was now that Steve was failing him? Why was it now, in his final hour, that he was so utterly, desperately, painfully alone? It was Steve's words that had driven him here- no, it was his pride- and now he was alone. No one to hear him shaking, groaning, whining at too high a pitch. Nothing coming to his ears except for the miserable echoes of rushing water and his own cries.

He had lost the ability to hold his phone long ago, and now, fighting back the urge to just pass out once again, he tried to hold the image of his daughter in his mind. There was nothing more than he could do, nothing more that he could physically push his body to, so he held on to the slipping fragments of his fuzzy sanity.

Why couldn't he hear Steve's cries? Why did Grace's face blur and mar when he tried to hold it tight in his mind? And most of all, why couldn't he move, why couldn't he succeed, and why couldn't he manage to save himself?

More so than the physical pain, it was the fact that he had lost the chance to be his own savior, and this time around, Steve wasn't here to be Danny's messiah. He was without his best friend, without his family, without anything or anyone to comfort him.

Danny assumed that what he was feeling, this blinding whiteness, this fogginess in his mind, this is what death felt like. The water splashing at his chin, the cold overwhelming his senses to the point where he was utterly numb. Death, this is what it had to be, loneliness, quiet, cold, and no adequate words to describe it other than 'defeat.'

Just as he swore he was going to go out for the last time, Danny's ears picked up a sound over the water, over his own pitiful whimpers. The sound of voices, of people calling out, of people crying out. They echoed just like the water, splashing around the walls of the cavern to Danny's icy cold ears.

"Danny! Danny are you here?" _are you here are you here…_

If Danny hadn't been nearly delirious, he would have sworn that it was Steve's voice, his partner's cry calling out to him in this hell, some last and final degree of comfort. All that Danny wanted to do was chuckle at irony, that the very voice that had led him to this place was now greeting him in his final moments.

After the laugh, he cursed that it wasn't Grace, that the last thing he was going to hear, even if it was only in his mind, wasn't his gorgeous and wonderful daughter. That voice calling out to him, asking where he was, begging and pleading for Danny. Why was Steve here now? Why?

Just to take a final shaking breath, try and spit at death before the water splashed over his lips and into his mouth, Danny opened his mouth and gasped for air. Body shaking and trembling as the breath rattled in his lungs, Danny pulled the last of his strength together to shout.

"Steve, I'm here goddammit! Help me! I'm here…" he managed to choke out, then resumed his gasps for air, struggling to tilt his chin up above the water just a little further. The water was close now, too close, and the blackness in his mind was just about ready to take over and claim him for the last time.

Fuzziness overcoming him like a wave of exhaustion, Danny gasped for air, tilted his head back farther yet, and slipped out of consciousness, blackness overcoming his mind like the water had overcome his body.

 **Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoy :)**


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